NEWSLINE SPONSORSHIP – We are now taking commitments for the 2020. If your company would like to be a sponsor, please contact Carol Foster at the TTA office by phone (615) 777-2882 or email ( [email protected]) to reserve your edition. The cost will be $300.00 per issue. We will have 24 issues this year. If you would like a banner ad it would be $500.00 per edition.

Chairman's Corner

Connie Vaughn

McKee Foods Transportation, LLC.

Love is in the air! Right? It’s Valentine’s Month (one day is just not enough!) If you don’t have a Valentine…I’ll volunteer, just send chocolates. Little Debbie Nutty Buddy’s are my favorite. I LOVE TTA and representing the fabulous men and women professional drivers that crisscross our beautiful state to deliver everything we need on a daily basis.

I had the honored privilege to represent TTA at the White House this week at the historic signing of the USMCA (US, Mexico, Canada Agreement). It was truly a beautiful day. The event was outside on the south lawn, with the Washington Monument to my back, and the White House directly in front. With members of America’s Road Team on the stage. I am not ashamed to tell you, I had tears more than once. It was cold, but the sun was shining and I was so very proud to tell everyone that I was representing TTA. Thank you for the honor.

I had the opportunity to speak to many members of the Senate about your good work, including Marsha Blackburn (TN), John Boozman (AR), Joni Ernst (IA), Martha McSally (AZ), Ted Cruz (TX), Thom Tillis (NC), and David Purdue (GA). And of course, I made sure I spoke to USDOT Secretary Elaine Chao to assure her that the safest fleets in the US are TTA members, and we will continue to do our part to keep the roads safe – and see that the ones we love get home safely. VERY PROUD to be your Chairman. Connie

COVENANT TRANSPORT, INC.

Melody Dunn named front-runner for top recruiting award Dunn one of three finalists for Transport Topics’ national recruiting professional of the year award CHATTANOOGA, TENN. -- Melody Dunn, senior recruiter for Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Covenant has been named one of three finalists for Transport Topics’ Recruiting Professional of the Year award. The award recognizes recruiting and retention professionals who have excelled in their field.

TTA 2020 "CALL ON WASHINGTON"  

 

The Tennessee Trucking Association will make its annual Call on Washington visit on March 24-26, 2020. This year's visit presents another unique opportunity to meet with our delegation. Regulations and policies are important factors in the business decisions made by trucking companies every day. Your participation is invited and needed. 

 

As usual, we will begin with a briefing with the staff at the ATA beginning around 2:00 pm on Tuesday March 24th. Please plan you flights to DC to arrive in time for that. After our briefing on Tuesday afternoon, the ATA will host us at a reception. We will be on the rooftop, weather permitting, of the ATA Hill office. After our calls on our House delegation on Wednesday, we will plan a group dinner at a restaurant in the DC area.

 

Thursday morning, we will schedule visits to both Senate offices where our entire group will have room to attend in their conference rooms. Please plan your return flights after 1:00 pm on Thursday.

For more information you can contact Dave Huneryager at [email protected]

YPC possible Call on Washington Attendees: The dates for our Call on Washington this year are March 24-26, 2020.  Please review the instructions below and complete as requested for consideration for the William H Reed, Jr. Travel Grant Award. 

All submissions must be received no later than Friday, February 14th at 2PM CDT .  Please feel free to contact Dave Huneryager directly regarding any questions you may have about this process. Good luck to each of you!

William H. Reed, Jr. Memorial Call on Washington Travel Grant

TTF SCHOLARSHIP FUND APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2020

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee Scholarship Application is now OPEN ( LIVE ) on the website. The scholarships will again have a deadline of March 15, 2019 at midnight for submission of applications. All students need to complete only one application to be considered for any scholarship fund for which they are eligible. Go to the website, click on Scholarships at the top and click on Apply. If applicants have questions, they can email [email protected] or call (615) 321-4939. The application contains all of the instructions for completing the application.

The Diesel Fuel Quality Council is a non-advocacy research organization made up of engine manufacturers, fleets, distributors, equipment manufacturers, refiners, retailers, additive companies and more. The goal of our Council is to improve the relationship between diesel engine performance and diesel fuel quality. As a first step, the Council launched an engine-fuel performance survey to identify the most common fuel-related issues experienced by diesel engines so we can start to move forward with understanding where the fuel’s properties and engine’s needs may be misaligned. The survey is less than 10 questions and only takes about a minute to complete. The data collected from this survey will serve as a benchmark to which we will compare the results of our diesel fuel sampling study, commencing in the spring. The Council’s purpose is not to advocate but rather to better understand the diesel engine-fuel relationship and to collect objective data to that end. 

NEW IRS Mileage Rate For 2020

The IRS mileage rates for 2020 for business vehicle use are:  57.5 cents per mile  of business use.

HAVE YOU MADE A CALL ON BEHALF OF A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING? Let your company and Truckers Against Trafficking know today! Even though we know it's not why you made the call, you could be in the running for TAT's prestigious Harriet Tubman Award presented by Protective Insurance, that brings with it a prize package including tickets to the Indy 500 and $2500 prize and Award Gala. Tell us your story at [email protected]

Legislative Corner

This month an increasing number of lawmakers, lobbyists, and staff scattered the halls of Cordell Hull despite an unusually slow start to the 2020 legislative session. Most stakeholders at the legislature focused on scheduling meetings with lawmakers to line up sponsors and co-sponsors for legislation. Legislative activity at the committee level remained relatively light with respect to the consideration of legislation, but most committees met for organizational purposes with short calendars. Indeed, only a handful of committees considered legislation this month, with most lawmakers focused on filing bills in advance of bill filing deadlines in the House and Senate, February 5th and 6th, respectively. 

Roadside Inspections are the best educational experience a company can have regarding how roadside inspections are conducted. You will see what might prompt a vehicle to be pulled in, what determines the level of inspection to be performed, and what is expected when paperwork and equipment is checked. You will also learn more about the inspection reports you receive after an inspection is completed on one of your trucks.  

This event will be of value to company owners, administrative personnel, dispatch, and maintenance – anyone in a position to deal with drivers or equipment. All will go away with valuable experience. 

All Roadside dates have been set. We only have one co-sponsorship available. Thank you to all who have sponsored a roadside this year!!

CONTRIBUTIONS TO TENNESSEE TRUCKING FOUNDATION

IN MEMORY OF...

DAISY "OLINE" FOSTER

Contributions were made by:

Dave Huneryager, John Walton, Big G Express, Inc., Greg & Michael Shipman, Tommy Hodges

Acknowledgement Sent to: Dave (Carol) Foster

CHARLES B. "Red" WHITTINGTON

Contributions were made by:

Greg Shipman

Acknowledgement Sent to: Shorty Whittington & John Whittington

Mary Ann Reed of Shelbyville, Tennessee | 1942 - 2020 | Obituary

She is survived by husband of 56 years, Danny Michael Reed of Shelbyville; daughters, Dana (Phillip) Edwards , and Kelly Reed both of Shelbyville; grandchildren, Sydnee, Aiden, and Ryan Edwards. Click here for full Obituary.

MARY ANN REED

Contributions were made by:

Tommy Hodges, Titan Transfer; Randy Vernon, Big G Express, Inc.

Acknowledgement Sent to: Dana (Phillip) Edwards